New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani lived up to his word and did not attend the 2026 Met Gala.
Mamdani announced that he wanted to spend the first Monday in May, the date of the annual Met Gala, celebrating the “thousands of workers behind the scenes” in the fashion industry.
“The fashion industry is made possible by the thousands of workers behind the scenes—seamstresses, tailors, retail workers, delivery drivers—whose immense talent and dedication deserves to be celebrated,” Mamdani told i-D.
His office put a spotlight on six professionals in the fashion industry in a social media post sharing their respective stories and accomplishments.
After learning to cut and sew at the age of 10, Hafeez Raza now owns a shop in Brooklyn. At 13 years old, Christoper Anderson was told by his family to pick a trade, and he went with tailoring. The decision proved to be a wise one, as he is now the master tailor at Saks Fifth Avenue. Anderson has also assumed the role of shop steward for the union representing Saks employees, Workers United.
Learn about former Amazon warehouse workers and delivery drivers Latrice Johnson and Lamont Hopewell, free tailoring school founder Sonia Castrejón, and Macy’s employee and union executive board member Earnestine Gay below.
“From true love found on the picket line to a free tailoring school out of a Brooklyn basement—meet the New Yorkers who make it all possible,” the caption reads.
Mamdani confirmed in an interview with Hell Gate last month that he and his wife, Rama Duwaji, would not be attending the Met Gala.
“My focus is also on affordability and making the most expensive city in the United States affordable, and that's what I'm looking to spend a lot of my time focused on,” he said.
